Incompetent Juncker

The resignation/sacking of ‘ boozy bully’ Jean-Claude Juncker (Mail) as Luxembourg Prime Minister immediately before his appointment as european Commission president was partly a result of the ‘Bommeleeer Affar’ (Bombers Affair).

This ‘affair’ was a series of bomb attacks on infrastructure installations and public buildings in Luxembourg between May 1984 and April 1986.

The perpetrators and their motives remain unknown, giving rise to various conspiracy theories: many believe members of the Luxembourg government, the Grand Ducal family and members of the State Intelligence Service (SReL) were involved.

On November 19, 2012, Tele Letzebuerg aired a story alleging that Marco Mille, former head of SReL, had used a wristwatch to record, covertly, a confidential conversation with Juncker in 2008. According to the report, Juncker later found out about the recording, but took no action against Mille and allowed him to leave the service in 2010 for a position with Siemens.

A transcript of the conversation was published by D’Letzebuerger Land, highlighting the disorganised state of the secret service. It mentioned links between Grand Duke henri and MI6, and referred to the Bommeleeer Affar.

On December 4, 2012, the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies set up a parliamentary inquiry into allegations of SReL misconduct, including the illegal bugging of politicians, purchase of cars for private use and allegations of taking payments and favours in exchange for access to officials.

Witnesses at the inquiry claimed SReL had conducted six or seven illegal wire-tapping operations between 2007 and 2009 as well as covert operations in Iraq, Cuba and Libya.

The report concluded that Juncker should bear political responsibility for SReL’s activities, that he had been deficient in his control over the service and that he had failed to report all of the service’s irregularities to the inquiry commission.

Juncker denied any wrongdoing, and after a seven-hour debate in the Chamber of Deputies on July 10, the withdrawal of support by the Christian Social People’s Party’s coalition partner, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers Party ( LSAP), forced Juncker to agree to new elections. he tendered his resignation to the Grand Duke on July 11.

Dismissed for incompetence as PM of tiny Luxembourg, this man is now president of the european Commission. Why and how?

ALAN RITCHIE, Belfast.